Joe Kuzma’s 2024 4-Round Steelers Mock Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is less than a week away, which leads Steelers Nation into a nail biting frenzy as to which players the team will select throughout the three-day event. Of course, I’m not different! I’ve been agonizing over the last few months as to what the team needs are versus the players they’d like to add.
But first, as is tradition, I have some rules I like to establish:
- I keep top 30 visits to the Steelers facility, past draft history, and Mike Tomlin‘s pro day visits in mind as I ran several simulations to come up with a somewhat realistic approach to my fantasy draft.
- While enticing, I stuck with the Steelers original picks for this particular mock draft: I hate simulator trades with a passion. (Not to mention they are clearly broken and can be gamed to really skew the outcome of a mock draft.)
Also, I only allow myself to take a player that’s available consistently when running several mocks through various services. Every one of these platforms, from Pro Football Network to Pro Football Focus, has a different “big board” that ranks rookie prospects in varying degrees. Sorry fans, that means no Caleb Williams to the Steelers this year.
Regardless, this is a fun exercise to see if we can predict the unpredictable. Many fans participate in betting and looking up Pittsburgh Steelers Game Lines to contribute to the draft craze, with experts all but certain a player will land with a specific team, only to find that their “bracket is busted” much like the March Madness tournament.
I suspect my “bracket” will be broken in the same way, but alas, here are my predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL Draft.
First Round (20): Graham Barton – Center (Duke)
It’s clear as day the Steelers do not have a starting center on their roster and of the day-one starter-capable players they could take with pick 20, a center seems to make the most sense. Not only can they lock down the starting position for the first week of the season, they could lock it down for a decade with the right player.
Barton played center as a true freshman in college and then moved to left tackle for the next three seasons. However, his size (6’5″ 314 lbs.) projects him moving inside as a pro. The Steelers will covet his athleticism as they have past centers throughout the franchise’s history. It would be a wise given Pittsburgh’s new quarterbacks and to solidify the middle of the line for years to come.
I also considered Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier.
Typically, centers do not fly off of the board in the top 100. An average of three to five are selected in that range, however, some teams may view Barton or Johnson as guards, leaving the center crop dangerously thin for the second round. All it takes is one needy team, such as the Dolphins or Cowboys, to screw up the Steelers plans and we could find Barton, Johnson, and Frazier all picked before 51.
If the Steelers want to gamble finding a starting center later than the first round, I would suggest their alternative still won’t be an offensive tackle. I would consider Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, a ballhawking defensive back that can play practically anywhere, as a “Best Available” approach and then swing around to center in the second round.
Therefore, Omar Khan plays it safe and gets his guy on day one.
Also considered: Jackson Powers-Johnson (C – Oregon), Cooper DeJean (CB – Iowa)
Second Round (51): Malachi Corley – Wide Receiver (Western Kentucky)
I’m once again passing on an offensive tackle for another hole on the Steelers offense: wide receiver.
Don’t let the 5′ 11″ frame fool you, Corley’s 215 lbs. makes him a larger, more physical receiver who would instantly slide into the space vacated when Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers.
Corley has caught the eyes of several NFL teams, which makes it difficult to predict where he may be picked. My guess is that the Steelers would have to snag him at 51 or else he’d be easily gone by the time they swing back through to their next pick at 84.
Corley is a utility player who is compared with Brandon Aiyuk, who coincidentally is being discussed as a Steelers trade target. Rather than spend the large contract or draft capital for Aiyuk, Khan settles in and snags the WKU receiver. Corley has 11 touchdowns in each of his last two collegiate seasons. He’ll remind fans of Johnson in several ways, positively by breaking tackles but also negatively with inconsistent dropped passes.
The latter can be worked on, which places him firmly into starting contention alongside George Pickens and Calvin Austin.
Also considered: Xavier Legette (WR – South Carolina)
Third Round (84): Max Melton – Cornerback (Rutgers)
Going for yet another need, the Steelers do not have much depth at cornerback and currently no players who project to playing as a nickel corner. Enter Rutgers’ Melton.
Pittsburgh would be fortunate to land Melton here and may need to make a play to move up and get him. It will be well worth it, as Melton would be a chess piece who could be moved around the secondary in the same way Cameron Sutton previously was. He’s capable of playing man or zone, and showed the physicality, plus the size, to keep up with some of the Big Ten’s big playmakers.
The team has been searching for this versatility since the departure of Mike Hilton several seasons ago. Melton would be considered a slot corner to start but could also slide over to the boundary and potentially be groomed as the next in line behind Donte Jackson.
Another player I considered who fits the same mold and round projection is Kentucky’s Andru Phillips. It should be noted that both players had a top 30 visit with the Steelers, so there’s certainly interest in both.
Also considered: Andru Phillips (CB – Kentucky)
Third Round (98): Matt Goncalves – Offensive Tackle (Pittsburgh)
The ability to scout players from next door helps here as the Steelers bring in yet another need: but not the one that fans were originally releasing a sigh of relief over when this is announced.
Yes, as prefaced, the team could upgrade at the tackle position. The question is, will they?
Dan Moore Jr. is entrenched as the team’s starting left tackle and I believe with a rookie center already starting, they may not want to shift another rookie to the right tackle position and move Broderick Jones to the left, only to sit Moore on the bench. Keep in mind, Pittsburgh has not shown any interest in moving Moore to the right throughout his career, which makes a swing tackle to backup he and Jones up crucial.
That’s where Goncalves fits in. The massive (6’6″ 327 lbs.) Goncalves can backup up both tackles, having played 526 snaps at left tackle and 967 at right tackle over his last three college seasons. With Moore entering the final year of his contract, Goncalves may even develop into a future starter, leaving that sweet draft capital up for grabs for another playmaker this year and in years to come.
Also considered: Blake Fisher (OT – Notre Dame), Michael Hall (DT – Ohio State)
Fourth Round (119): Luke McCaffrey – Wide Receiver (Rice)
Call me crazy, but as soon as I saw McCaffrey came in for a top 30 visit, I had him pegged to the Steelers. Mike Tomlin loves his bloodlines and they don’t get much richer than McCaffrey’s family which includes former Broncos great Ed, who is the father of Luke and his brother Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers.
McCaffrey is a fast, shifty receiver who appears destined to play in the slot. He can also be a special teams factor, which comes into play because newly signed WR/KR Cordarrelle Patterson does not return punts and is also 34-years-old this season.
McCaffrey could find a role as a punt returner. He could also crack some playing time with the thin group of receivers the Steelers have on the depth chart.
Also considered: Maason Smith (DT – LSU)
Final Thoughts
You’ll notice I started to look at defensive tackles as the draft gets deepers. Cameron Heyward‘s age started to show during an injury plagued 2023 campaign. Larry Ogunjobi is entering his 30’s with two years remaining on his contract too. It would behoove the Steelers to search for depth other than rookie standout Keeanu Benton. If they pass in the middle rounds on the position, keep an eye out for Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd. The FCS product reminds me of Javon Hargrave coming out of college and could be a sleeper pick with the Steelers remaining selections in sixth round (178 and 195).
